A Pokemon Master's Journey
by Athena96
Summary: With the ability to understand his Pokémon, Ash embarks on a Pokémon journey with Pikachu by his side while gaining new friends along the way to become the very best like no one ever was! Watch as Ash matures into a kind, strong, and loving Pokémon Trainer that is Pokémon can be proud of and discovering new abilities as well, but evil lurks in the shadows that Ash must be wary of.
1. Chapter 1

Ash Ketchum was sitting in his room watching a fight between a Nidorino and a Gengar on the television when his mother, Delia Ketchum, suddenly startled him.

"ASH KETCHUM! You should be in bed mister! It's almost eleven o'clock at night!" Delia exclaimed.

"Sorry mom," Ash said sheepishly. "May I please finish watching this battle?"

Delia sighed and said, "As long as you promise to go to bed right afterwards and remember to keep the alarm clock away from you. We do not need a repeat of the alarm clock being thrown in the middle of the night."

Ash blushed a deep red and promised to do both things. He tried to focus his attention back to the television to watch the battle, but his own excitement of getting his first Pokemon was making him lose focus. He turned off the television, got into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and crawled into bed with the alarm clock clear on the other side of the room set to go off in the morning. He fell asleep and began to dream of which starter he was going to choose in the morning while thinking about the pros and cons of Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Unfortunately, the alarm clock despite it being on the other side of the room fell and broke into a million pieces. Ash woke up in the morning to smell his mother's excellent cooking and because he was wondering why his alarm didn't go off. He looked over to his right to see the Pokeball shaped alarm clock broken and on the floor. He got dressed into his blue cargo pants, a black t-shirt with a green vest over it, and put his hat on over his messy raven black hair that had a Pokeball design. Ash wanted to run down the stairs, but instead walked down calmly to avoid getting yelled at by his mother. He then turned to the left to walk into the kitchen to see his mother setting a plate of food down onto the table.

"Morning mom," Ash greeted her.

"Morning Ash. Ready to get your very own Pokemon?" Delia asked.

"I am and I think I am going to go with Charmander as my starter," Ash responded.

"That's good sweetie. I just can't believe that my little boy is going to be on his own adventure," Delia commented.

"Don't worry mom. I will call you every chance I get when I am in civilization again," Ash said after swallowing the food he had in his mouth.

"I know you will sweetie," Delia replied with a smile. "Now, finish your food before you're late."

Ashes wolfed down the last couple of bites he had left on his plate and put his plate in the sink. He walked outside to see it was a beautiful day and took off running to Professor Oak's laboratory. He arrived to see that the other trainers that were starting today, which included Gary Oak, arrive as well. Gary smirked at Ash and tried to get under his skin to no avail. They all walked inside to find Professor Oak standing next to a circular machine with three Pokeballs containing the Kanto starter Pokemon, which caused Ash to frown a little wondering why there were only three when there was four of them starting today.

"Ah, I see all of you have arrived on time to receive your Pokemon," Professor Oak stated.

"Can we just choose our Pokemon already Grandpa?" Gary asked impatiently while sticking his hands into his pockets.

"Be patient Gary. I need to explain that only three of you will get Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. The fourth will get this Pokemon," Professor Oak replied while pressing a button.

The button caused an area just above the three Pokeballs to open up and show another Pokeball. This Pokeball was red with a lightning bolt above the button and Ash began to wonder what kind of Pokemon was in there.

"You see, I only have three of the starter Pokemon and will have to wait until a assistant of mine goes out to get some more for future trainers. Inside the fourth Pokeball is a Pokemon named Pikachu that I found just this morning chewing on some wires and doesn't seem to trust humans very well, so it will need some extra attention to get him to obey," Professor Oak explained while rubbing the back of his head.

As if it heard its name, an electric mouse popped out of the Pokeball with its cheeks sparking daring anyone to come near it. Gary and the others backed up a little away from Pikachu, but Ash stepped forward towards the Pikachu.

"Ash, be careful," Professor Oak warned.

"I will Professor," Ash replied.

' _Don't come any closer, human,'_ Pikachu growled out while giving a warning with his cheeks sparking more getting ready to attack.

Ash stopped approaching and this made Pikachu blink in shock wondering if this human could understand him.

' _Can you understand me human?'_ Pikachu asked while slowly letting his cheeks stop sparking.

"Yes. I have always been able to understand Pokémon, Pikachu," Ash replied.

Professor Oak and the others gained shocked looks wondering why in the world they never knew about Ash's ability.

' _My name is Raiden,'_ Pikachu said while jumping off the machine and onto Ash's shoulder.

"Do you want to join me on becoming a Pokemon Master, Raiden?" Ash asked with a small smile.

Raiden nuzzled Ash's cheek with his own cheek as his answer and Ash immediately knew that was a yes. Ash grabbed Raiden's Pokeball and clipped it to his belt knowing that most likely Raiden wouldn't go back into it.

"I will be taking Raiden as my starter Professor Oak," Ash said with a grin and Professor Oak nodded his head.

"Here is your Pokedex, named Dexter," Professor Oak said while handing over a little red machine to Ash. "Also, here are six Pokeballs in order to catch some more Pokemon and when you catch more than your limit they will be transported here where I will let them out to explore the corral."

Ash thanked the Professor and left the laboratory with Raiden riding on his shoulder. He stepped outside to see his mother and huge group of people waiting and began to cheer for Ash as soon as they spotted him. Delia gave her son a hug while being careful not to grab Pikachu.

"Ash I am so happy that you chose your starter, but I thought you were going to go with Charmander," Delia said while also being confused.

"I chose Raiden, that is his name by the way, and he chose me after the others backed away from him after coming out of his Pokeball," Ash replied. "I can always just find a Charmander while working on becoming a Pokemon Master."

"Well, as long as both of you are happy with each other then I cannot argue with you about your decision," Delia replied with a smile.

Raiden jumped from Ash's shoulder to Delia's to nuzzle her cheek and then went back to Ash's shoulder. Delia smiled at Raiden and then gave Ash his backpack with the necessary supplies he would need including a fishing rod. She then told Ash to change his underwear everyday causing Ash to blush a deep red and Raiden laughed at his embarrassment. After hugging his mother once again and saying goodbye to her, Ash and Raiden left Pallet Town to Route 1. Ash sees a Spearow on the way to Viridian City, but knew if he attacked that Spearow or any Spearow, then they would cry out for their flock. Suddenly, it started to rain and Ash put Raiden in his vest to try and keep him dry. Ash ran the last few miles to Viridian City when the storm stopped. He then noticed a rainbow and a mysterious Pokemon that Dexter said could not be identified. He then rushed into the Pokemon center, where he politely walked up to the counter to get a room.

"How may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I would like to check out a room for a couple of days and I would like to sign up for the Indigo League please," Ash politely responded.

"Of course. Here is your room key and I will need your Pokedex please," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Also, do you need your Pikachu checked out?"

"Raiden should be okay since I haven't battled anyone or any wild Pokemon yet, but I think its still a good idea for him to be checked out. Its just that he won't go back into his Pokeball," Ash replied while handing Nurse Joy his Pokedex.

"That is perfectly okay. Its not the first time I have had to deal with a Pokemon that didn't like going back into their Pokeball," Nurse Joy happily replied. "Here is your Pokedex back Ash and here is a badge case to put all your badges into once you have received them from their respective gym leaders."

"Thank you Nurse Joy and how did you know my name?"

"Not a problem and I know your name from your Pokedex."

Ash blushed and Raiden jumped from Ash's shoulder to the counter and let Nurse Joy pick him up. She then carried him through the double doors and Ash walked over to some seats waiting for Nurse Joy to come back with Raiden. He then spotted a girl with orange hair with a little ponytail carrying a charred bike into the Pokemon center and he rushed over to help her.

"Hey, do you need help?" Ash asked.

"No thanks. I just need someone to point me in the direction of the bike shop," the girl politely declined.

"Up one street and it will be on the left," Nurse Joy said causing them both to jump. "Ash, here is Raiden back and he is in perfect condition."

"Thank you Nurse Joy," they both replied while Raiden jumped onto Ash's shoulder once again.

"Not a problem," she happily responded. The both left the Pokemon center to go to the bike shop.

"My name is Ash Ketchum," Ash introduced himself to the unknown girl while holding his hand out and she shook it. "And this is my starter Pikachu, whose name is Raiden."

"Misty Waterflower," the girl said. "I want to become a Water Pokemon Master."

"I want to become the greatest Pokemon Master," Ash replied with determination burning in his eyes. "Are you going to take on the Indigo League to become a Water Pokemon Master?"

"I actually hadn't even thought of taking on the Indigo League since I actually can't get one of the main badges," Misty replied thoughtfully.

"The Cascade Badge right?" Ash asked.

"That would be the one," Misty replied. "My last name gave me away didn't it?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to say anything thinking it would be a little rude," Ash said sheepishly while they walked into the bike shop.

Misty handed her bike over to the owner saying that a bolt of lightning from the storm wrecked her bike and the owner said that it would take a long time to replace everything, so she was going to have to go without a bike for a while. They then left back to the Pokemon center where Misty had her Pokemon checked out, who all came back out healthy once again. Misty then decided not to take on the Pokemon League saying she didn't want to do that for wanting to show that even trainers that don't take on the League could become Pokemon Masters. They then had to deal with Team Rocket agents named Jessie and James with a talking Meowth. Raiden sent them flying after Misty got them wet from her Staryu's water gun. Nurse Joy thanked them for saving the Pokemon from those thieves since they still needed to be healed. Ash then offered to let Misty sleep in the room he checked out for the next couple of days and that he would sleep on the floor. She accepted and they both crashed for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash and Raiden were up early the next morning, training in the designated area for trainers to train their Pokemon.

"Raiden, I am going to start teaching you Iron Tail, but first I need to scan you to see what ability you have and the moves you currently know," Ash said while pulling out Dexter.

 **Pikachu the Mouse Pokemon. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs. This Pikachu is male and has the ability Lightning Rod. This Pikachu knows the moves Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Thunder Shock, Thunderbolt, and Double Team.**

"These are great moves Raiden," Ash said and watched as Raiden puffed out his chest with pride.

 _'_ _Thank you Ash,'_ Raiden replied. _'The move I really want to learn the most is Volt Tackle, but I want to become stronger before trying to learn it.'_

"That is a great idea," Ash responded with a smile. "I know the move and it can cause recoil damage if used incorrectly."

 _'_ _It does,'_ Raiden said thoughtfully. _'When I was still a Pichu, the leader of our group had to protect the other Pichus and I from a flock of Pidgeys and Pidgeottos. He beat the flock with Volt Tackle and due to the damage from the flock and the move, it left him weak for a couple of days.'_

"He sounds like an awesome leader," Ash said in awe. "What happened to the group of Pikachus you lived with?"

 _'_ _I got captured by a girl trainer named Alaina, who decided to train me for cute contests, but I lost the first one and she had all her Pokemon attack me for losing. After I was hurt badly, she released me and left me to die. I only survived because the wild Pokemon in the area saw the whole thing and all worked together to make me better. That is why I was about to attack everyone in the lab because of what happened to me at the hands of one Pokemon trainer,'_ Raiden explained.

"I am so sorry you had to go through that Raiden," Ash said while getting to Raiden's level to rub his head. "If we ever run into her, if she is still a Pokemon trainer, then we will show her that you are stronger and better than any of her Pokemon."

 _'_ _Thank you Ash,'_ Raiden replied.

Ash and Raiden then got busy with training by running some laps around the area together to build endurance. They then worked on agility and power. They took a break for breakfast and Misty joined them for training saying it would be good for both her and her Pokemon. After getting Raiden's permission, Ash tied some rocks onto to his tail to help build its strength. Shortly afterwards, Raiden's tail glowed for a few seconds while he was in mid-swing. After a few more tries, Raiden got the glow to stay and then he mastered Iron Tail. Ash congratulated Raiden with a hug and Misty rubbed the top of his head. Suddenly, Misty got an idea to have Raiden help her water Pokemon build resistance to Electric types. Ash responded that it was a good idea, but that it would be up to Raiden. Raiden agreed to it and Misty sent out her Staryu and Starmie, but said she couldn't send out Goldeen since there were no bodies of water in the training area. Staryu and Starmie were told about Misty's idea, which they both agreed to do. Raiden started off with a weak Thunder Shock and increased its power until they couldn't handle it anymore. Misty returned them back into their Pokeballs and they both went inside to have their Pokemon healed and to have lunch. Once they were finished, they retrieved their Pokemon and went to Route 1 where they found a body of water, which was a river. Ash pulled out his Old Rod while Misty was pulling out her Good Rod and they both cast their lines. It didn't take long for Ash to get a bite and when he reeled it in, it turned out to be a Shellder. Shellder was quickly caught with Raiden's help. Ash let Shellder out to heal it with a Potion and then he scanned Shellder with Dexter.

 **Shellder the Bivalve Pokemon. Its hard shell repels any kind of attack. It is vulnerable only when its shell is open. This Shellder is female and has the ability Shell Armor. This Shellder knows the moves Tackle, Withdraw, and Water Gun.**

By this time, Misty got a bite on her line and caught a Poliwag with Goldeen's help. While Misty was healing Poliwag, Ash scanned it and Goldeen.

 **Poliwag the Tadpole Pokemon. Its newly grown legs prevent it from running. It appears to prefer swimming than trying to stand.**

 **Goldeen the Goldfish Pokemon. Its tail fin billows like an elegant ballroom dress, giving it the nickname of the Water Queen.**

Seeing Ash scanning her Pokemon, she sent out Staryu and Starmie for him to scan, which he did.

 **Staryu the Star Shape Pokemon. An enigmatic Pokemon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle.**

 **Starmie the Mysterious Pokemon. Its central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem.**

"Cool," Ash said with a grin. "Thanks for letting me scan your Pokemon, Misty."

"No problem Ash," Misty replied with a smile. "Is there any other Pokemon you want to catch before we go back to the center?"

"Actually, there is," Ash said. "I want to catch a Magikarp and a Pidgey."

"Pidgey sounds like a great Pokemon for your team, but are you sure you want a Magikarp?" Misty asked.

"I am taking a wild guess that you had a bad experience with a Gyarados," Ash said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Misty replied while looking at her feet. "I nearly got swallowed by it, but I am trying to get over my fear of them just like I am trying to get over my fear of Bug Pokemon."

"Well, I am going to be going through Viridian Forest and a Caterpie could most likely help you get over your fear better than a Weedle since their final evolution is a Beedrill," Ash said thoughtfully.

"Was that your way of inviting me to join you on your journey?" Misty asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah," Ash replied with a small blush.

"I would love to travel with you Ash since that gives me the perfect opportunity to catch and discover new Water Pokemon of all kinds!" Misty exclaimed with excitement.

Ash smiled with happiness hearing that Misty wanted to join him. He then threw the line back out into the water and a few seconds later, hooked a Magikarp, which he easily got not paying attention that the Makigarp was yellow. Misty, however, had been paying attention and she had wide eyes.

"Ash, you just caught a shiny Magikarp and you are not even fazed by that?" Misty asked in bewilderment.

"Huh?" Ash replied.

He tossed Magikarp's ball out over the water to let it and his jaw dropped open in shock seeing the shiny Magikarp. He pet Magikarp and then scanned it with Dexter.

 **Magikarp the Fish Pokemon. In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today. This Magikarp is female and has the ability Rattled. It knows the moves Splash and Tackle.**

Ash slammed Dexter closed not liking the fact that it had insulted Magikarp. He began to pet Magikarp while apologizing for the insult from Dexter and Misty helped Magikarp feel better with some kind words of her own. Ash returned Magikarp and both of them put their rods away. They walked into the tree line to see that there were some Pidgeys hanging out on the branches, but Ash didn't want to accidentally hurt all the Pidgeys just to get one for his team. Suddenly, one flew off a tree branch, pecked Raiden on the head and then landed on the ground. Raiden jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the ground with sparks coming off his cheeks. Pidgey put up a great fight, but Raiden proved to be too much and Ash caught Pidgey. He let Pidgey out to heal with a Potion and then scanned it.

 **Pidgey the Tiny Bird Pokemon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flap its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. This Pidgey is male and has the ability Big Pecks. It knows the moves Tackle, Sand Attack, and Peck.**

Ash returned Pidgey and put Dexter away in his pocket. Ash and Misty then headed back into Viridian City where they had Nurse Joy heal all their Pokemon. Once they received their Pokemon back, Ash went to the pool that Nurse Joy pointed out for Ash to use so he could get to know his Shellder and Magikarp better. Misty, however, decided to go look around town just to see if there was anything interesting. Ash let his three new Pokemon out with his Water Pokemon in the pool and Pidgey on the edge of the pool.

"Hi. My name is Ash and this Pikachu is Raiden," Ash said while pointing to Raiden. "I wanted to get to know the three of you better before doing any training and Magikarp I am still sorry that my Pokedex insulted you earlier."

 _'_ _It doesn't matter. It is not likely that you can understand me,'_ Magikarp muttered sadly.

"Actually Magikarp, I can understand Pokemon," Ash replied. "I have had this ability as long as I can remember."

His three newest Pokemon looked at him in shock not wanting to believe their ears until Raiden confirmed it.

"What I want to know is if you have names and if so what are they?" Ash asked.

 _'_ _My name is Aurora,'_ Shellder said. _'My mother gave me my name, but most don't give their children a name.'_

 _'_ _I don't have a name,'_ Magikarp again muttered sadly.

 _'_ _I don't have a name either,'_ Pidgey replied.

"Aurora is a beautiful name," Ash said while smiling at Shellder. "Magikarp and Pidgey, would you like to have a name instead of calling you by your species name?"

 _'_ _Yes,'_ they both replied at the same time.

"Well, the first name that popped up in my mind was Melody for Magikarp and Hermes for Pidgey," Ash thoughtfully said out loud.

 _'_ _I like the name Melody,'_ Magikarp happily replied getting over her sadness.

 _'_ _The all mighty Melody,'_ Pidgey stated while looking at Melody and then turned to Ash. _'I like the name Hermes.'_

"Then, it is settled," Ash replied with a grin on his face. "Now, I want to train the three of you up for our first gym battle, but I can only use two Pokemon for the gym battle and sadly Melody I cannot use you for the first gym battle due to the fact that there won't be any water for you to swim in and you don't learn any Water type moves until you evolve into Gyarados."

 _'_ _It's fine Ash,'_ Melody responded. _'I understand and I know you will still train me before and after I evolve.'_

 _'_ _What type of gym is it that you are going up against first?'_ Hermes asked.

"Rock," Ash replied. "I am going to use Raiden and before you say that there is a type disadvantage, I have already figured out a way around it by teaching Raiden Iron Tail today."

 _'_ _As much as I would love to take on the first gym, I think you should use Aurora,'_ Hermes calmly stated.

 _'_ _Me?'_ Aurora asked in shock. _'Hermes you are faster and stronger than me.'_

 _'_ _That is exactly why I think you should be Ash's second Pokemon to use because you need the experience and I have a feeling that Ash is going to build up our strength, power, endurance, agility, and possible have us build resistance to Electric types,'_ Hermes explained.

"What Hermes is saying is true Aurora," Ash cut in. "Raiden and I trained together this morning by running to build endurance, built up the power of his attacks, and had a friend of ours attack Raiden with her own Pokemon, so that he could practice dodging to build his agility up and his speed. The way I got Raiden to learn Iron Tail so fast was by tying some rocks to his tail to increase its strength since he has to swing his tail in order for it to work. I am sure that Misty, our friend, has Water Pokemon of her own and I am sure she would be willing to let you learn some more Water attacks from Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen. I am not sure if her newest Pokemon, which is a Poliwag knows any Water moves and if it makes you feel more comfortable, then I will teach Hermes the move Steel Wing."

 _'_ _It's just that I have never had a single battle since my mom and dad refused to let me fight even though my other sisters and brothers got to fight all the time and before you ask, I am not the baby of the family. My parents said that I was a weakling,'_ Aurora said sadly.

 _'_ _I know how it feels to be a weakling and my parents tried to stop me from battling as well, but I showed them that I could hold out on my own by beating my older brother with Tackle, which I learned during the battle and he hadn't even bothered to build up his defense from his training,'_ Melody smirked.

"I am sorry both of you had to go through that, but I see that all four of you are not weaklings and I know with the right training then all four of you will become powerful in your own way," Ash said with honesty in his voice and then he saw Misty leaning up against the door jam with a smile on her face. "Aurora, Melody, and Hermes let me introduce you to Misty."

Misty walked over to the five of them with the smile still on her face and she bent down to pet all of Ash's Pokemon. She then got back up to stand next to Ash.

"That was really sweet of you to say those things to your Pokemon," Misty said.

"Well, it is the truth," Ash mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

"I know," Misty happily replied. "Also, I won't tell anyone about your ability because people might try to take advantage of you."

"Thanks Misty. I really appreciate it. Here let me ask your Pokemon what their names are so you know for future reference," Ash responded.

"Are you sure Ash because I am not going to force you if you are uncomfortable about it," Misty asked in shock.

Ash nodded his head and Misty let her four Pokemon out with Poliwag happily jumping up into Misty's arms. When asked if they had names, Staryu and Starmie responded that they used psychic waves as names and therefore wouldn't be translatable. Goldeen's name was Giselle and Poliwag didn't have a name, but that she didn't want one and preferred to be called by her species name.

"Misty when Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, if she wants to that is, are you wanting a Poliwrath or a Politoed?" Ash asked.

 _'_ _I want to be a Politoed,'_ Poliwag quickly jumped in.

"You want to be a Politoed?" Ash questioned Poliwag and received a nod from her. "Well, it looks like she answered my question."

"I am perfectly fine with you becoming a Politoed," Misty told Poliwag. "I will either catch another Poliwag or just see if I can find a Poliwrath in the wild, but that doesn't mean I am trying to replace you Poliwag. I want to become a Water Pokemon Master so it helps to have all sorts of Water Pokemon to help me achieve my dream and Melody I will eventually get a Magikarp to evolve into Gyarados, but for right now I need to get over my fear of them."

"Just don't rush yourself in trying to get over your fear," Ash said.

Melody had Ash translate for her that she understood and she ask if Misty would be comfortable getting a male Magikarp just so that she could eventually have a child of her own, which Misty said she would try her best to get a male Magikarp. Ash asked Misty to watch over the Pokemon while Raiden put them through some training of building their resistance to Electric types while he would do one-on-one training with Hermes to learn the move Steel Wing. Misty agreed and Ash thanked her while Raiden was slowly shocking Giselle. With Hermes on his shoulder, Ash went back to the training area and tied some rocks that were not too heavy, so Hermes would still be able to fly to build up the strength of his wings. Soon Hermes was flying around with ease that Ash took the rocks off and had Hermes practice focusing on his wings gaining a metal sheen. It took a little while for Hermes to get the sheen and hold while swinging his wings like he was going to attack an opponent. After a couple more tries, Hermes learned Steel Wing and they got to work on building its power. They then returned to the others to see that they were taking a break with Misty happily telling them that they were doing a great job. Ash had Raiden work with Hermes while he got in the pool with Aurora and Melody to do some laps with them around the pool with Misty joining him to do the same thing with her Pokemon. By the end of the training they were all hungry and tired. Ash and Misty fed their Pokemon before they returned them and handed them over to Nurse Joy, who happily healed them. Ash called his mom to let her know how he was doing so far on his journey and the new Pokemon he has met today. They talked for a little while and then Ash introduced his mother to Misty, when Delia had to get off before her dinner burned. Ash and Misty went and ate their own dinner, went to their room and crashed for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Ash and Misty packed up their belongings to head to Viridian Forest. Ash handed Nurse Joy the key to their room and met Misty outside. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes until Ash broke the silence.

"Misty, are you sure that you are going to be okay in a forest full of Bug types?" Ash asked while giving her a concerned look.

"I know I can do this," Misty said with determination in her voice.

Ash nodded his head while smiling at Misty. They arrived at the forest shortly afterwards and just continued without stopping until Misty turned around to see a Caterpie being attacked by some Beedrills.

"Hey! Leave Caterpie alone!" Misty yelled gaining the Beedrills attention. "Misty calls Starmie!"

Starmie appeared out of its Pokeball and the Beedrills began to fly towards Starmie while their big stingers began to glow.

"That is Twin Needle Misty," Ash said.

"Psychic!" Misty called to Starmie.

A blue light appeared around the Beedrills stopping them in place and then they were launched backwards. As soon as they recovered, they took off to get away from Misty and Starmie.

"That was awesome Misty!" Ash exclaimed.

"Thank you Ash," Misty replied while returning Starmie. "Let's check on Caterpie."

Ash followed Misty over to Caterpie to see it was badly injured and a purple aura around it showing that Caterpie was poisoned. Ash quickly took off his backpack to pull an Antidote out, which he handed to Misty. She healed Caterpie's injuries and cured the poisoning. They both sighed in relief when they saw Caterpie getting healthy again. Caterpie then crawled up Misty's arm to rub its head against her cheek to show its appreciation.

"Hey Caterpie, can you tell my friend why those Beedrills were attacking you?" Misty asked. "He can understand Pokemon."

 _'_ _I can do that,'_ Caterpie replied. _'Those Beedrills attacked me because I accidentally trespassed into their nest just as they were evolving from Kakuna.'_

"Apparently Caterpie stumbled into their nest just as they were evolving from Kakuna," Ash translated. "Also, my name is Ash and the one who saved you is Misty. The Pikachu sitting on my shoulder is named Raiden."

 _'_ _My name is Bella,'_ Caterpie said. _'Can you please tell Misty that I would like to join her team?'_

"Misty, Caterpie's name is Bella and she want me to tell you that she would like to join your team," Ash informed her.

Misty just smiled and held a Pokeball up to Bella, who tapped the button causing it to suck her in. Then, the Pokeball dinged to show a successful capture and Misty let Bella back out saying she wanted to spend time with Bella, who was more than willing to spend time with Misty. Ash and Misty then continued walking for an hour when they spotted another Caterpie with a Weedle.

 _'_ _We need to find Bella so you can apologize to her,'_ Caterpie said.

 _'_ _You have been saying that for the last couple of minutes Angel,'_ Weedle replied in exasperation.

 _'_ _Don't get annoyed at me Wesp,'_ Angel snapped. _'You said those mean things to her which caused her to run away.'_

 _'_ _Boys!'_ Bella called gaining Angel and Wesp's attention. _'I am okay now thanks to my new trainer, Misty. The boy standing next to her is Ash and his Pikachu named Raiden.'_

 _'_ _I see that you found the right trainer for you,'_ Angel said. _'What do you mean you are okay now?'_

 _'_ _I was attacked by several Beedrills that had just evolved from Kakunas cause I stumbled upon the nest,'_ Bella truthfully replied.

Wesp hung his head and said, _'I am really sorry Bella for all those awful things I said to you.'_

 _'_ _Apology accepted,'_ Bella told him.

Ash quickly translated what they had said to Misty while Angel and Wesp looked at Ash in bewilderment when they realized he could understand them.

 _'_ _Hey you two should join Ash's team if he is okay with it,'_ Bella suddenly said.

"I would love to have them on the team, but I won't force them to join," Ash cut in before they could say anything.

 _'_ _We would love to join your team,'_ Angel spoke for both of them.

Ash set a Pokeball down in front of Angel and in front of Wesp. At the same time, they both touched the Pokeballs and were sucked in. The Pokeballs dinged for Angel and Wesp didn't try to break free. Ash then let them back out so he could scan them with Dexter.

 **Caterpie the Worm Pokemon. Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls. This Caterpie is male and has the ability Shield Dust. This Caterpie knows the moves Tackle, String Shot, and Bug Bite.**

 **Weedle the Hairy Bug Pokemon. Often found in forests, eating leaves. It has a sharp venomous stinger on its head. This Weedle is male and has the ability Shield Dust. It knows the moves Poison Sting, String Shot, and Bug Bite.**

"You both have excellent moves," Ash commented causing both of them to puff out their chests in pride. He then scanned Bella before Misty could ask. "Bella has the same moves as Angel, but she has the ability Run Away meaning when she is a Butterfree she will have the ability Tinted Lens while Angel will have Compound Eyes."

"Thanks for looking that up about Bella," Misty said with a smile.

"No problem," Ash responded while returning Angel and Wesp. "Lets find a clearing or somewhere to make camp for lunch and a place to train."

 _'_ _There is a clearing through the trees on your left Ash,'_ Bella spoke up.

"Thank you Bella," Ash replied.

"What?" Misty asked.

"Bella said that there is a clearing through the trees on my left," Ash said.

They both turned to Ash's left and began to walk through the trees to see a beautiful clearing with wild flowers throughout the tree line and a crystal clear river flowing through it. Both of them walked over to the river and let their Water Pokemon out. Ash then let out his other Pokemon and introduced everyone to Angel and Wesp while Misty introduced her Pokemon to Bella. Once the introductions were over with, Ash and Misty began to train their Pokemon with laps or swimming for some of the Pokemon, agility, strength, the power of their moves, and building resistance to their type disadvantages. During the training, Aurora learned the move Ice Shard with everyone congratulating her causing her to become embarrassed from all the attention. Also, Angel and Wesp evolved into Metapod and Kakuna causing everyone to congratulate them. After they were done training, Ash and Misty set up camp while their Pokemon were eating lunch. Ash then made stew for lunch for Misty and him while telling her that it wasn't as good as his mother's cooking. Misty found to her delight that Ash's cooking was delicious and she gave his cooking many compliments causing Ash to blush. They then began to clean up everything while letting their Pokemon to have a little fun while they broke up camp when Ash decided he needed to talk to Raiden about something in private. Once they both disappeared through the tree line, Misty continued to pack up everything when she suddenly found a sword at her neck causing Bella to tackle the boy holding the sword.

"Ow! Learn to control your Pokemon, novice," the boy said.

"Then you should learn not to put a sword against someone's neck while their Pokemon are out especially their friend's Pokemon," Misty shot back. The boy turned to see that there were indeed a lot of Pokemon out and they were all glaring at him.

"I just want to know if you're a Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town," the boy said with a gulp.

"No," Misty replied while turning her back to him.

"Drat," he muttered. "Then my quest continues."

The boy left and took Misty a couple of seconds to realize that he was looking for Ash.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed while returning both of their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs.

Once Ash made sure that they were out of hearing range from Misty and the others, he let Raiden jump down so that they could talk.

"Raiden the reason I wanted to talk to you is because I wanted to know if we ever found the group of Pikachus you were separated from, if you would like to be able to join them once again," Ash said.

 _'_ _As much as I would like to Ash, I don't think it would work out for I would be too powerful for the other Pikachus and Pichus. Would I miss being with everyone I knew and loved? The answer would be yes, but I am fine with being your Pokemon and being part of your family that is still growing,'_ Raiden replied. _'Also, I should tell you that I do not want to become a Raichu.'_

"That's okay Raiden," Ash responded with a smile.

Suddenly, Ash saw a sword appear out of the corner of his eye swinging down at him and Raiden reacted by using Quick Attack to knock the boy back, who grimaced in pain.

"Why were you swinging a sword at me?" Ash asked in anger. "You could have seriously injured me or could have killed me."

"That is how a Samurai issues a challenge," the boy replied. "Now, are you the trainer from Pallet Town?"

"Why does that matter?" Ash said with a scowl.

"Because I am challenging you to a Pokemon battle."

"Ash!" Misty said while appearing out of nowhere and she stopped when she saw the same boy from earlier. "I see that he has already found you. Here are all of your Pokemon."

"Yes and thank you Misty," Ash said without taking his eyes off the boy. Misty nodded her head and stood off to the side while looking between the two of them. Raiden quickly joined her side to make sure no Pokemon would try to attack her.

"So are you going to accept my challenge, novice?" the boy tried to goad him.

"I will accept the challenge," Ash calmly stated.

"Go Pinsir!" the boy said while throwing Pinsir's Pokeball, which showed a big brown Pokemon with two pincers on its head.

"I choose you Raiden. Let's show this trainer that he shouldn't mess with us," Ash said with Raiden running from Misty's side to the battlefield.

"Pinsir use Tackle."

"Raiden dodge with Quick Attack followed by Thunderbolt!" Ash called.

Just as Pinsir was in front of Raiden, he disappeared in a blur and before the boy could call for Pinsir to do something, a lightning bolt slammed into Pinsir causing it to faint with swirls in its eyes. The boy returned Pinsir with a scowl that someone from Pallet Town that should be a novice trainer had defeated his Pinsir with one move.

"This is my strongest Pokemon," the boy said with a gloating tone. "Go Metapod!"

A green cocoon appeared and both Misty and Ash sweat dropped wondering how in the world Metapod was his strongest Pokemon.

"Raiden come back," Ash recalled him with Raiden running back over to Misty. "I choose you Wesp."

"You really are a novice if you think that little weakling can beat my Metapod," the boy said while laughing his head off. Both Ash and Wesp scowled at the insult.

"Metapod use Harden," the boy said through his laughter.

"Quick Wesp, use String Shot on Metapod and swing him into a tree."

Wesp shot a white string onto Metapod who was just starting to Harden when it was slammed into a tree causing it to faint. This sobered up the boy quickly when he realized that he had underestimated his opponent and he handed Ash the prize money. He then ran away saying that he would make Ash pay for what he had done.

"That boy was strange," Misty muttered. Ash snorted causing Misty to look at him.

"You can say that again," he replied.

Ash then returned Wesp after telling him that he did a great job. Ash and Misty then continued to walk through Viridian Forest and after ten minutes arrived at the exit. They were careful of a man and his products that he was apparently selling, which they had no interest in buying. They safely arrived at Pewter City and they stopped at the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon, which Nurse Joy was happy to do for them. Once they were done being healed, they both realized how late it was and booked two rooms for the night. Ash and Misty went to the pool to let their Water Pokemon out so they could feed them dinner and of course their other Pokemon. They then returned them all, except for Raiden, and went to eat their own dinner. Misty was the first one to trudge upstairs to her room to crash for the night while Ash decided to make sure Aurora and Raiden were ready for their battle tomorrow. After that was done, Ash went to his room and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Ash and Raiden rose early in the morning the next day in order to get some training done before challenging the Gym for the Boulder Badge. Ash went to the pool and released his Water Pokemon, mainly Melody, into the pool in order to train them all. He set about doing everything that they had previously done before and with the building of resistances to the types that they had a disadvantage. He told Wesp and Angel that since they were Bug types then they needed to wait until there was a Fire type on the team to build resistance to that, which they understood completely. Ash then called a break from training to feed everyone breakfast and then returned them, except for Raiden. He then left the pool area to have Nurse Joy heal his team and found Misty waiting for him in the waiting area of the Pokemon Center.

"Good morning Ash," Misty greeted him. "I see you were training your Pokemon before the Gym battle today."

"Good morning Misty and yes that was exactly what I was doing," Ash replied with a smile.

"Ash Ketchum, your Pokemon are done being healed," Nurse Joy called through the intercom and Ash quickly retrieved his Pokemon.

"Do you want to head to the Gym after getting some breakfast for ourselves?" Misty asked.

"That would be great," Ash responded.

Ash and Misty went to the cafeteria where they ate in a calmly manner despite Ash's excitement of having his very first Gym battle and he knew that his Pokemon would do their best for he believed in them. They quickly dealt with their dishes and then proceeded to walk out of the Pokemon Center to the Gym. It didn't take them that long to find the Gym and Misty asked Ash if he was sure that he didn't need to use her team. He replied that would make him a cheater for using someone else's Pokemon in order to win a Gym Badge and that he wouldn't be able to handle the guilt. She didn't say it out loud, but she was thinking that he was intelligent for knowing the difference between right and wrong. They then walked into the Gym to find it pitch black in the room and couldn't see anything in front of them.

"Who goes there?" a booming voice asked causing both Ash and Misty to jump in surprise.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I would like to challenge you to a Gym Battle," Ash replied and then the lights suddenly turned on to see a teenage boy sitting with his legs crossed and with squinty eyes.

"I accept the challenge," he answered while getting up off the ground. "Is this your first Gym Battle?"

"Yes, and I am aware of the rules. I made sure to know everything that I could about Pokemon and the official League rules before leaving on my journey," Ash told him causing the teen to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, then you would know that I do a two-on-two battle and only the challenger may make substitutions in the battle," he simply said.

"Yes," Ash answered.

"Before you two start, can I please know your name?" Misty asked.

"Oops. I am sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Brock," Brock answered while looking embarrassed.

"I'll be cheering for you Ash from the bleachers," Misty told him while walking over to them.

"Brock, is it all right if I let three of my Pokemon come out to watch the battle?" Ash asked.

"I don't see a problem with that," Brock told him. "I see you have four Pokeballs on your belt and a Pikachu riding on your shoulder, so I am just curious why only three?"

"That would because one of them I am using for this battle with you and my Magikarp cannot breath without water and I don't want her to suffer just because I want her to see the battle," Ash simply answered.

"I am very happy to see that you, the Trainer, care about your Pokemon so much," Brock said with a smile.

"Thanks," Ash replied with a grin.

He then ran over to the bleachers to let out Hermes, Wesp, and Angel onto the bleachers and told them that they would be watching the battle. Ash could see the excitement in their eyes to see Aurora and Raiden fighting especially since this would be Aurora's first battle every. He then ran back into the Trainer's box on his end while Brock was already in his. Then a referee appeared with a red and green flag in his hands.

"This is two-on-two battle between the Pewter Gym Leader Brock and the challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Trainers release your first Pokemon!" the referee called.

"Go Geodude!" Brock said while throwing his Pokeball releasing a rock with two arms protruding from its side.

"I choose you Aurora!" Ash said while releasing her onto the battlefield.

 _'_ _Lets do this Ash!'_ Aurora exclaimed.

 _'_ _Why are you trying to talk to your Trainer? It's not like he can understand you,'_ Geodude said.

 _'_ _You are seriously asking a question when our Trainers are about to give us orders to battle one another since this is a Gym Battle,'_ Aurora asked while looking at Geodude in confusion.

Ash pretended not to hear the two having a conversation not wanting to reveal the fact he could understand them. He pulled out his Pokedex and scanned Geodude.

 **Geodude the Rock Pokemon. Found in fields and mountains. Mistaking them for boulders, people often step or trip on them.**

Ash then put the Pokedex away and nodded his head at Brock to signal he was ready. The referee then shouted, "Battle begin!"

"Geodude use Tackle!" Brock called.

"Dodge then use Water Gun!" Ash called to Aurora, who easily dodge thanks to her training and hit Geodude hard causing him to cry out in pain.

"Geodude are you okay?" Brock asked in concern for his buddy and received a nod from him though he could tell the Water Gun caused a lot of damage. "All right. Use Rollout!"

"Aurora jump onto one of the rocks to dodge and then use Water Gun," Ash said knowing that Aurora was in danger of being hit.

She jumped onto one of the rocks and Geodude crashed into it and then she hit him with another Water Gun causing him to cry out once again and then he fainted with swirls in his eyes.

"Geodude is unable to battle. The winner is Shellder!" the referee called out while Brock returned Geodude.

"Take a nice long rest buddy," Brock said to the Pokeball containing Geodude.

"You did it Aurora! You won your very first battle!" Ash exclaimed in excitement while hugging her, who cooed in happiness. "Now why don't you go join the others on the bleachers for a well deserved rest."

She went over to the others, who began to cheer her on for winning her first battle and Hermes gave her a knowing look. Brock was a little shocked to hear that a Pokemon that was battling for the first time had beaten his Geodude.

"Are you ready for the last battle Ash?" Brock asked.

"You bet!" Ash exclaimed.

"Go Onix!" Brock yelled while letting out a big snake like Pokemon and Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan it for the information.

 **Onix the Rock Snake Pokemon. As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to a diamond, but colored black.**

He then put the Pokedex away and nodded at Raiden, who jumped onto the field and Brock knew that he shouldn't underestimate his opponent just because he was using a Pikachu.

"Battle begin!" the referee yelled.

"Onix use Tackle!"

"Use Double Team, Raiden."

Multiple copies of Raiden appeared on the battlefield and Onix ended up hitting a copy. Ash then ordered Raiden to run up the body of Onix and Brock ordered Onix to try to shake off Pikachu. It proved useless when Raiden continued to run up Onix's body.

"Now use Iron Tail full power!"

Raiden's tail gained a silver sheen and he jumped up bringing his tail swinging down on Onix's head causing said Pokemon to roar in pain. Onix then fell down in a complete faint with Raiden landing safely on his side of the field.

"Onix is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" the referee called. "And with both of the Gym Leader's Pokemon unable to battle, Ash wins the Boulder Badge!"

Brock returned Onix and told him that he deserved a nice rest. Brock then walked over to Ash after Ash returned his team and Misty walked over to congratulate him.

"Here Ash," Brock said while presenting a gray rock shape badge to him. "You've earned this fair and square. Now with the Boulder Badge, you are one step closer to the Indigo League."

"Thanks Brock!" Ash happily replied while taking the badge and putting it into the badge case.

"Keep training your Pokemon the way you are and I am sure it will have great results with your battling skills," Brock said with a smile. "Although, I am a little curious of how long you have been on your Pokemon journey."

"About three to four days, but I made sure to train my Pokemon and catch new ones while making sure my Pokemon don't over work themselves since the way I see it is that the Pokemon on my team or that end up in the corral with Professor Oak are family," Ash told him while looking serious.

"That is great Ash. You are a heck of a lot better than another Trainer, who walked in arrogantly with just a Squirtle that he didn't even bother to train before challenging me," Brock replied.

"Was his name Gary?" Ash asked while sighing.

"That would be the one," Brock answered.

"He has let the fact that he is Professor Oak's grandson go to his head and thinks nobody can beat him," Ash said while shaking his head. "He also use to be my friend until he became arrogant and started to bully me just because at the time I didn't know the answers to all of his questions."

Misty put a hand on Ash's shoulder and said, "If we run into him, then we will show just how wrong he is."

"Thanks Misty," Ash replied while giving her a small smile. "We should probably go heal our Pokemon."

"Is it all right with you if I tag along since my Pokemon took a beating?" Brock asked.

"Sure," Ash answered.

On the way to the Pokemon Center they found out that Brock had been taking care of his little brothers and sisters since their father went on a journey and their mother sinking into a depression. He also had to take care of the Gym since he was the oldest and then told them that he had at first hated their father for leaving them, but then he realized that maybe their father had a dream he was trying to accomplish and maybe that he felt ashamed for not completing said dream. He then began to talk about his dream of being a Pokemon Breeder, so he did a lot of studying on his own about different Pokemon food recipes and trying to experiment on his own. They then arrived in the Pokemon Center with Ash and Brock handing over the Pokemon that had battled.

"Ash, why do you call your Pokemon by different names and not their species name?" Brock asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Let's go to a more secluded spot since I don't want everyone overhearing our conversation," Ash replied nervously.

"The pool is all cleared and you will be able to release your Magikarp," Nurse Joy said while handing their Pokemon back, who both thanked her.

"Ash, do you want me to be there for you?" Misty asked gently.

"Of course you can come along since you do already know what I am going to be telling Brock," Ash answered.

All three walked to the pool to see that was indeed empty of Trainers and Pokemon. Ash then released all of his team with Melody ending up in the pool and Brock's jaw dropped open in shock at seeing the shiny Magikarp.

"The reason why I don't call my Pokemon by their species name is that some of them have names given to them and the others I nicknamed," Ash began to say, "and I know their true names because I can understand Pokemon. I can prove it if you like with one of your Pokemon."

"I don't need the prove because it is talked about amongst my family because we had a great grandmother and grandfather that could understand Pokemon, so to me its not that big of a shock," Brock told him.

"Really?" Ash asked in surprise.

"Yes, but both of them passed away three years ago, otherwise I would introduce you to them," Brock replied with a hint of sadness.

"I am sure they are in a better place," Ash said while returning his Pokemon with Raiden on his shoulder.

"Ash, why does Raiden never go into his Pokeball?" Misty asked not realizing it was a bad subject.

 _'_ _You can tell them what I told you, Ash,'_ Raiden told Ash before he could look at him.

"Raiden had a bad experience with a Trainer named Alaina, who had all her Pokemon attack him for losing his first Cute Contest and then released him after the attack to leave him to die," Ash told them while rubbing Raiden's head.

"That's terrible!" Misty exclaimed while stomping her foot in anger.

"I'm sure Ash will teach her the error of her ways," Brock said calmly and Ash nodded his head in agreement. "It was nice to meet and talk to you both, but I need to get back to the Gym."

Ash and Misty said their goodbyes to Brock and watched him walk out of the Pokemon Center. They then walked out of the Pokemon Center to replenish their supplies for their journey. Once that was done they walked to the outskirts of Pewter City and Misty decided to say something.

"We're going to Cerulean City next right?" Misty asked.

"Yeah we are. Is something wrong with that?" Ash asked in concern.

Misty opened her mouth to say something when they both heard, "Hey! Wait up guys!"

They both turned around to see Brock running to catch up with them with a backpack on his shoulders and when he did they saw he had a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, Brock," Ash said. "I thought you had to go back to the Gym?"

"I did," Brock replied. "Once I arrived, I found my dad standing in the Gym with all my brothers and sisters waiting for me to come back just so he could say sorry for all that he has done and to tell me to go and accomplish my own dreams. Immediately I thought that I could join you and Misty on your guys' journey."

"Welcome to the group, Brock," Ash responded with a smile. "Misty was just about to tell me something."

"Well," Misty started when she saw that she had their attention, "you see I am one of the Four Sensational sisters and seen as the runt just because my sisters believe that they are better than me in the looks department, so I stormed out and said I wouldn't set foot back into the Gym or Cerulean City until I became a Water Pokemon Master."

"That is low, even for family," Brock said while shaking his head.

"I'll show your sisters that they are not as good as they think they are," Ash muttered angrily.

"Thanks, Ash," Misty replied with a small blush.

All three then continued walking out of Pewter City and on to Mount Moon to travel through to Cerulean City, where Ash would be able to get his second Gym badge wondering what new Pokemon he was going to be meeting this time.


End file.
